Some of these stories are pretty out there, others were just delightfully weird. Overall it was an entertaining read. Alissa Nutting is one of a kind.

I‘ve put off reading this one for too long, so started it this morning. I‘m anticipating a slow not exactly page-turning book that I won‘t overly enjoy, but will be glad to have read. Those who‘ve read it: is this the case?

Book mail! I had no idea Kevin Wilson had a short story collection coming out this summer, but I‘m excited to check it out!

My good friend wrote a novel! I got the privilege of attending her book launch party (this is the cake!) and of interviewing her. If you want to check out the interview, here‘s the link: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2018/04/12/the-window-amelia-brunskill-interview/

Book mail! I‘m really excited to read this novel and interview Rumaan Alam!

I‘ve been the worst Litsy-ian ever and haven‘t checked in for over a month, but I wanted to see if any wise and well read soul might have some advice for me. I waited for these two books to come in at the library and I was so excited to get them, but they‘re long and I‘m not really grabbed by either and am thinking about abandoning them both. I know I can always pick them up again later, but any thoughts on either of these two?

I loved this novel. Yes, I‘m friends with the author, but it‘s such a hilarious, fun, and heartwarming book. I had the pleasure of interviewing Gloria Chao for Chicago Review of Books and the interview is live today on the site: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2018/03/06/american-panda-gloria-chao-interview/

I was really excited to pick this book up from the library, but am feeling a little lukewarm about it so far. I‘m hopeful it will pick up though as I‘m a huge Zadie Smith fan.

I really enjoy Gretchen Rubin‘s writing and thought this book was an interesting read. I didn‘t completely buy into it (I don‘t think everyone necessarily fits into these categories) but a lot really resonated with me.

Exciting book mail today: an advance copy of a friend‘s novel! And I made it into the acknowledgements!

I listened to the audio book of this one. Infidelity is a loaded topic and this book handles it with logic, compassion, and wisdom. A book worth checking out if you‘ve ever been effected by an affair or are just curious about the topic.

This book isn‘t in the Litsy system yet, but I just finished the ARC of this delightfully weird book. It‘s part fiction, part poetry, part social commentary and is illustrated with some amazing pictures of monsters! Full review next month via Chicago Review of Books.

I don‘t read a lot of poetry, but enough to know this book is amazing! (And I knocked out my first book of the year!)

I‘ve been MIA here as I stepped back and tried to focus on my happiness and well being. It turns out I abandoned some great relationships/ friendships for books. I‘m vowing to read less in 2018 to focus more on people, but I have to admit I think I killed it in 2017.

I‘ve gone MIA again here, this time because I‘ve been battling health issues. My condition has not only affected my body, but I‘ve been dealing with neurological issues as well, which has made reading difficult. I‘m hoping to find a book to sink my teeth in. Has anyone read any of these? I‘m hoping one will help lift my reading slump and I‘d love any recommendations!

I finally read/ finished this National Book Award winner (just in time for a list of more nonfiction to read as the announced this year's finalists). It's not a light or quick read, but it's so important. It has parallels to Thirteenth (a documentary on Netflix that should be required viewing by everyone in America). I listened to the audio and am glad I did because it'd probably be a long time before I got through the print book. Very powerful!

So this novel came out last month and didn't get much buzz, but I had fun interviewing the author. I was really impressed that she wrote such a terrific book in her second language! You can check out the interview here: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/09/11/how-to-behave-in-a-crowd-camille-bordas-...

Hey everyone! I've been terrible about Litsy lately (mostly because I've been writing a lot and not doing as much reading) but I received this awesome book mail today and was excited to share since I saw this novel was long listed for the National Book Award!

I can't think of a writer quite like Mohsin Hamid. I've devoured three of his books in the last six months and they're all so different but each one brilliant in its own way. This novel is told in second person and as a self-help book, and the latter is at times a little clunky. But Hamid writes such sharp prose. I laughed at some lines, other times I nearly got chills from the writing. Overall I admired it more than I enjoyed it.

I loved this novel. I'm a sucker for generational family sagas and this one is slim with less than 250 pages, yet is such a rich story and an excellent exploration of systemic racism. I found it remarkable.

You can read my full review via CHIRB here:
https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/08/23/a-kind-of-freedom-margaret-wilkerson-sex...

I'm always excited to hear about a new Tom Perrotta novel. His books are just so entertaining. They're funny but also smart and compulsively readable. His latest is no exception. That said, I'm sure this novel won't appeal to everyone. The prose is pretty expository at times and the subject matter (current sexual politics- such as consent and Internet pornography) is going to put some people off. But I loved it so much I gobbled it up.

(Instead of taking a picture of this book, I thought I'd share the sign outside of my house since it highlights a key concept in this book: no human is illegal.)

This book does a really nice job tackling the issue of immigration & putting it in a historical context & displays a lot of the implications of government policies & laws. An excellent overview for anyone wanting to understand the humanitarian issues at stake under our current system.

It's rainy and I want to stay home and read this book, but I have to go do a home study interview tonight. Sometimes adulting is hard.

I adore Meg Wolitzer so it pains me to rate this novel as a 'so-so.' It has her signature charm, which I love and the premise was interesting: the children of a couple who wrote an illustrated sex manual (think The Joy of Sex) find it and this discovery changes them all. There was a lot to be desired here though. The plot had great potential, but ultimately didn't go as far as it could have and the character development wasn't very satisfying. 👇

I haven't read Samantha Hunt's novels, but I picked this story collection up after reading a review. I found Hunt's prose delightful. These stories are so strange and interesting that I want to check out Hunt's other books.

Oh man, this book.

The five biggest stars for this brilliant essay collection that is so real, true, and important. It tackles so many issues: motherhood, education, prejudice and white privilege, gun control, happiness, fear, love, writing, the current political climate, etc. etc. Seriously, it's so sharp and raw and the writing is phenomenal. I will definitely be rereading this one several times. I highly recommend this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My interview with Lindsay Hunter is live today! Chatting with her was an absolute delight and it's probably my favorite interview I've ever done. You can check it out here:

https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/08/08/eat-only-when-youre-hungry-lindsay-hunte...

It took me way to long to put together a photo for #bookcolortag but here it is @Simona !

Wow, Marlon James is a master.

I loved the first chapter, but then had a difficult time getting into this novel. I'm glad I persisted because it turned out to be incredible and a serious literary achievement. A challenging book, but definitely worth reading.

Here are the books I'm most excited about this month. #augustmostanticipated

Trying to start my month off right...

It's been a rough month and my July stats are certainly not notable. But I did manage to read some great books and these two were definitely among my favorites!

I read this novel when it came out and loved it, so when I found it at Dollar Tree, I quickly snatched it up. It seems quite fitting for the #outofthisworldgiveaway that @valeriegeary is having! (P.S. I'm in the U.S.)

I have been terrible about Litsy lately, but need to jump on to thank @rohit-sawant for The Snow Child and @McShelfington for Feminism is for Everybody! Receiving them was such a treat and I'm looking forward to reading both books! Thanks again!

Kevin Coval is one hell of a poet and this is one hell of a book.

Book mail! I'm really excited about this one.

Today I got pretty far in the tagged book (which is what I'm listening to on audio right now) thanks to a country drive to pick up my CSA. The book is a startling look at what we're losing by constantly being plugged in and relying on texts, emails, and social media over conversation. It doesn't have the best narrator, but the topic has me completely hooked.

My review of WHAT WE LOSE is up today at CHIRB: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/07/12/what-we-lose-zinzi-clemmons-review/

Allegra Hyde is a beautiful writer and I really enjoyed this collection. There were a few stories I didn't like as much, while others I absolutely adored. Overall it's a solid collection and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

My interview with Rachel Khong is now live:
https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/07/11/goodbye-vitamin-rachel-khong-interview/

What a deliciously fun read! I gobbled up this novel about a couple who decides to open up their marriage. It's funny, sexy, and has hints of a Tom Perrotta novel. It would be an excellent beach read or reading slump buster. Thanks to @MicheleinPhilly and @Reggie for the recommendation!

I'm way behind on #thesatanicversesbuddyread but I started reading the tagged book after reading reviews by @MicheleinPhilly and @Reggie and I'm hooked and don't want to stop. #blameitonlitsy

Gwendolyn Brooks is one of my favorite writers so I was excited to learn about this book. It's a collection of poems, art, fiction, and nonfiction prose celebrating Brooks as a writer and as a person. (It sounds like she was as amazing as a person as she was as a writer.) If you're not familiar with Gwendolyn Brooks, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books. If you are and love her like I do, this book is for you.

I'm in. #asidefrombooks

📓hobby: writing, biking, yoga
📓drink: tea (hot, iced, & kombucha)
📓food: anything with avocados
📓color: lime green
📓city: Chicago
📓dream home: somewhere tucked away surrounded by trees & a body of water, but close enough to a city (i.e. library) to bike to
📓accessory: does a book count?
📓tv show: Portlandia
📓last movie seen in the theater: it was so long ago I can't remember!
📓current read: tagged book +4

I'm not someone who pays much attention to celebrities, so I didn't know some of the women profiled in this book. But my ignorance didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of this fantastic feminist read. The analysis of our society's reception of Hilary Clinton was so excellent. A couple of chapters weren't stellar, but this book is smart and powerful and a wonderful ode to unruly (i.e. a woman who doesn't conform to societal expectations) women.

Not sure this photo does justice to the beautiful mail I received today: a novel I'm excited about and some goodies from my sister (a pouch she made and some reading buttons) It was so lovely to come home to these!

I'm reviewing this one for CHIRB and can post the link when it runs. Until then, let me say this novel is so beautiful and smart. I absolutely loved it.

Here's my tentative TBR for July. I've been pretty decent about sticking to my lists lately, so hopefully I'll get to all of these.

I didn't do anything fancy for my stats this month, but here they are!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of my favorite writers. I'm working my way through Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder challenge and when I saw this book fit the "novel in which a POC goes on a spiritual journey" task, I eagerly put it on hold. I wish I'd read this novel before her other work because I think I would've enjoyed it more. This one is her first novel and feels like that. But it's beautifully written and admirable for a first novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️